Semi-conductor fabrication is being driven towards smaller scale and higher complexity production. To implement tighter specifications, inspection systems may be used at various stages before, during, and/or after the fabrication process. At any of the foregoing stages, one or more defects of a tested sample can be detected and characterized utilizing an inspection system, such as a brightfield inspection system, darkfield inspection system, e-Beam inspection system, and the like.
Inspection systems may be configured to collect test and reference images of the sample, which are then analyzed to detect sample defects. The test and reference images may be filtered or processed utilizing a selected inspection algorithm to improve defect detection and separation. However, difference filters and inspection algorithms can be difficult to setup and evaluate because it is not possible to directly observe effects of a selected filter or inspection algorithm on the processed test and reference images. Application engineers and customers tend to avoid utilizing difference filters or modifying inspection algorithm settings due to the foregoing difficulties in ascertaining appropriate settings.